"Trader Thomas" on the potential to move around in the draft

Thomas Dimitroff has a history of and a reputation for trading picks and moving up to get the player he really wants. The team has eight picks heading into the 2015 NFL Draft, and while they hold the eighth overall pick and have the potential to grab an impact player at a position of need - logic would suggest a pass rusher - with that selection, Dimitroff suggested in Friday's pre-draft press conference that trading to move up or back in the first round is a possibility.

Not surprisingly, after two consecutive years of picking in the top ten, Dimitroff hopes to not be in this situation again anytime soon.

"Dan and I have talked a lot about being in the top ten. You don't get a chance to be there that often. You hopefully are not there that often, and don't want to be there in the future a whole bunch," Dimitroff said.

Dimitroff believes that the eighth overall pick presents some potential trade opportunities. Teams are already discussing some theoretical trade possibilities with each other, and Dimitroff thinks that what happens with the first few picks will dictate whether or how those situations play out on draft day.

"The idea of being there in the top ten, at eight, gives us the opportunity to move up and back," Dimitroff said. "There's a lot of discussion already about movement both ways with a lot of our peers in the league. It'll be interesting to see how that all works out, and a lot of it, I believe, has to do with what goes down in the top three picks, and I think that's going to set the tone for how much movement there is into the top ten or even into the top five."

The blockbuster trade to acquire Julio Jones solidified Dimitroff's reputation as a man who might be willing to make deals on draft day. "Given that move, we're always one of the first teams that teams call when they're looking to deal, and personally, I like that," Dimitroff said. "I think it's good. So there never will be, potentially, missed opportunities for us."

When a team is picking in the top ten, they're investing in a player that they expect to come in and make a positive impact right away. Particularly this season, it's important for that player to live up to those expectations.

"I think it's very important [to get an impact player in the top ten]," Dimitroff said. "We like to refer to those players as - they're "pillar position players" or "pillar players" within the organization. Some are a lot more expensive, whether it's in free agency. Some in the draft, we have to go higher."

Dimitroff also referenced the fact that the team may have to trade up to get that type of player in this year's draft. "Is it important that we acquire someone with the eight overall pick or earlier? Yes, it's very important that guy is a legit contributor to this football team now," Dimitroff said.

What are your thoughts on the Falcons potentially trading up or back on draft day, and if they choose to do so, which player or position do you think will be the focus?